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Investigation of a Citizen Above Suspicion



The provocative Italian filmmaker Elio Petri’s most internationally acclaimed work is this remarkable, visceral, Oscar-winning thriller. Petri maintains a tricky balance between absurdity and realism in telling the Kafkaesque tale of a Roman police inspector (Gian Maria Volonté, in a commanding performance) investigating a heinous crime—which he committed himself. Both a penetrating character study and a disturbing commentary on the draconian crackdowns by the Italian government in the late 1960s and early ’70s, Petri’s kinetic portrait of surreal bureaucracy is a perversely pleasurable rendering of controlled chaos.

Disc Features

• New 4K digital restoration by the Film Foundation, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack on the Blu-ray
• Archival interview with director Elio Petri, conducted by critic and filmmaker Alexandre Astruc
• Elio Petri: Notes About a Filmmaker (2005), a ninety-minute documentary on the director’s career, featuring interviews with friends, collaborators, and filmmakers
• New interview with film scholar Camilla Zamboni
• Investigation of a Citizen Named Volonté (2008), a fifty-minute documentary about actor Gian Maria Volonté
• Music in His Blood, an interview with composer Ennio Morricone from 2010, conducted by film critic Fabio Ferzetti
• Trailers
• New English subtitle translation
• One Blu-ray and two DVDs, with all content available in both formats
• PLUS: A booklet featuring an essay by film scholar Evan Calder Williams and excerpts from a 2001 book by author and screenwriter Ugo Pirro

No posts? December seems like a lackluster month of expected titles. However this one is getting quite the treatment (4k & stellar package of extras), yet no love from the forum. I really wish Nashville was also getting such treatment.

I'm assuming part of this is that this film hasn't been easy to see legally in English language territories for some time. Like I said in the cover thread, though, I'm definitely blind buying this, as I've heard nothing but raves from a number of critics and cinephiles I respect, all of whom have pretty different tastes.

I'm looking forward to it but don't have much to say about it since I haven't actually, you know, seen it. Jeez you're tough to please today, Lowry_Sam.

warren oates wrote:I'm assuming part of this is that this film hasn't been easy to see legally in English language territories for some time.

True, except for those who bought the Italian Blu-ray or the earlier DVD (a few public libraries in the U.S. had the latter; I saw a library DVD when I lived in San Diego for example).
I'm happy about this finally happening as I imagine others are as well but have been too busy to comment today.

I personally haven't commented yet in this thread because I can't think of anything to complain about.

It's a great package of an absolutely superb film. While I haven't seen it in a while, it was the film that really brought Volonté to my attention. It's a scathing satire and for many at the time was a portrait of Italian police, culture and politics. I can't recommend it highly enough.

I'm so happy that this will be out in time to view for the 70s list. This was one of my most sought after titles for the project.

what is the Film Foundation?

Martin Scorsese started the Film Foundation 20 years ago to restore Powell & Pressburger and possibly other films (like this one). He then started the World Cinema Foundation five years ago to focus on restoring underappreciated films from countries that don't have the resources to do it themselves.

Brilliant film, but the Italian blu-ray looks incredible so no need to double dip for me.

Wonderful film and this looks like an essential Criterion release. Hopefully this brings Criterion one step closer to releasing Rosi's ILLUSTRIOUS CORPSES, which to my mind is one of the great thrillers of the 70's.

Looking at the description on the packaging, I see someone has labeled the film's story "Kafkaesque." Leaving aside the pedantic debate on whether Kafkaesque or Kafkan is the preferred adjectival form, what on earth could the writer be referring to? I've seen the film several times, and not once while viewing have I ever been reminded of Kafka. Maybe someone can advise me.

Jack Phillips wrote:Looking at the description on the packaging, I see someone has labeled the film's story "Kafkaesque." Leaving aside the pedantic debate on whether Kafkaesque or Kafkan is the preferred adjectival form, what on earth could the writer be referring to? I've seen the film several times, and not once while viewing have I ever been reminded of Kafka. Maybe someone can advise me.

He might have been referring to the absurdity of the police administration in the movie ? That's the only thing I can think of.

Jack Phillips wrote:Looking at the description on the packaging, I see someone has labeled the film's story "Kafkaesque." Leaving aside the pedantic debate on whether Kafkaesque or Kafkan is the preferred adjectival form, what on earth could the writer be referring to? I've seen the film several times, and not once while viewing have I ever been reminded of Kafka. Maybe someone can advise me.

Did you notice the film's explicit reference to The Trial?

Enlighten me.

The film's final quote from The Trial is the from the section of the "Before the Law" parable, specifically the priest arguing to K. that the doorkeeper of the law is beyond human judgment because he belongs to the law, and so to question his integrity is to doubt the law itself. Someone at a certain place in a hierarchical apparatus of authority such as a police inspector can be above suspicion because their place within the apparatus is as a "servant" of of an alienated and impersonal system of customs and rules that are not to be questioned. For the priest, this is the way it must be, not because what the figure of authority tells us is true but because it is necessary. So the absurdity of police administration that tenia refers to above is that it's based on accepted, unquestioned notions of order and necessity that may be no more than lies.

Heard about this one for years, in partic that Morricone scored it. I only know Volonte from the spaghetti westerns. Can't wait.

Volonte is actually also in Le Cercle Rouge in a pretty major capacity.

Kafka discussion moved here.

Taketori Washizu wrote:. I only know Volonte from the spaghetti westerns. Can't wait.

Then get yourself a copy of Francesco Rosi's Lucky Luciano, he is magnificent in it.

Bluray.com review (giving it a perfect 5 star review on everything)

Florinda Bolkan makes me straight.

http://rohmerin.blogspot.com.es/2012/01 ... olkan.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Elio Petri's masterpiece Property Is No Longer a Theft, finally gets a DVD release in Italy after wining the Venice Classics film festival section (Best restored film), but only Italian subtitles (cool for me).

Am I the only one who sees Bill Hader every time I look at the cover?

I see Ty Burrell, but he's not taking a pratfall, so it can't be him.